


gather up the brokenness and bring it to me now

by gutsandglitter



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-03-12 23:49:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13558173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gutsandglitter/pseuds/gutsandglitter
Summary: All she wanted to do was go home and curl up with Ada in their own bed, and she wasn’t about to let a little bit of weather stop her from doing just that.





	gather up the brokenness and bring it to me now

**Author's Note:**

> For ephemeral-winter's tumblr prompt: Kiss on the Hips

Hecate knew better than to fly at night during a storm. Even Mildred Hubble would have known better than to try such a foolish stunt. 

But a week of staying with her sister Hestia had left Hecate irritable and exhausted (not to mention sore, courtesy of an abominable guest room mattress). To make matters worse, one of her bratty nephews had given her a nasty cold which made her feel as if her head was stuffed with cotton wool. All she wanted to do was go home and curl up with Ada in their own bed, and she wasn’t about to let a little bit of weather stop her from doing just that. 

She came to regret this decision almost immediately. As soon as her feet left the ground, powerful gusts of wind began tugging at her broom, trying to pull her in any direction but straight. She was able to adjust her weight in order to compensate, but after about two miles she was forced to abandon her usual side-saddle position, moving to grip the broom between her knees like a First Year. 

As she maneuvered into this new position she was struck by a particularly hard blast of wind, causing the broom to pivot sharply beneath her. A white hot-burst of pain shot through her left hip, radiating straight down to her foot. Her drying spell faltered, leaving her soaked as she grit her teeth and tried to course-correct. 

_Ada_ , she thought. _I have to get home to Ada._

She focused on that thought for the rest of her journey. After what felt like an eternity, the castle silhouette appeared on the horizon, it’s rows of lighted windows serving as tiny beacons in the night. If she hadn’t been so singularly preoccupied with keeping her broom aloft and pointed in the right direction, Hecate would have cried with relief. 

She touched down in the courtyard, feet sliding on the grass as she slowed to a stop. As she dismounted, the ferocity of the pain in her hip seemed to triple. She staggered, grabbing the handle of her broom to steady herself. 

Ada was at her side in an instant with a pink polka-dotted umbrella clutched in her hand. “Hecate Hardbroom, what on earth were you thinking?” Her tone was sharp and scolding, not unlike the one she used on the rare occasion when she’d had to expel a student. “I assumed you would stay another night, like any sane witch would have, but when I tried to mirror you Hestia said you had gone. Honestly Hecate, you could have died!”

“Well, I didn’t,” Hecate said through gritted teeth. The pain in her hip almost made her wish she had.

Ada paused. “Are you injured?”

“I’m fine,” Hecate said. Her grimace said otherwise. She was still holding onto the broom for support, and her arms were beginning to tremble from the effort of keeping herself upright.

“Let’s get you upstairs,” Ada said, taking Hecate’s elbow and transferring them. 

They rematerialized in Ada’s bedroom, without Hecate’s broomstick. Hecate groaned as her legs were once again forced to bear her own weight. 

“Where does it hurt?” Ada asked. Her earlier anger had dissipated, giving way to intense concern.

“My left hip,” Hecate mumbled, reaching out and grabbing one of the bedposts. With a grunt, she levered herself up onto the bed and collapsed against the pillows. “I think it’s dislocated.”

Ada hummed, casting a quick drying spell over her. Hecate closed her eyes, exhaling slowly through her nose. The pain was less severe now that she was off her feet, but it was still enough to set her teeth on edge. 

Ada’s hand hovered over Hecate’s torso for a moment. She looked up and caught her eye. “Would you like me to-”

Hecate shook her head. “I can take care of it myself.”

Ada squeezed her arm. “I know you can, my dear. But you don’t have to. Let me do this for you, please?” Her eyes were soft, filled with an aching tenderness she seemed to only reserve for her wife.

Hecate hesitated. Her natural instinct to shy away from help was blunted by the pain, and as she felt the exhaustion from her flight begin to sink in, she realized how likely it was that she would be too weak to perform a proper healing spell. She inclined her head in an approximation of a nod. “Okay.”

Ada smiled softly. She reached out and placed one hand on either of Hecate’s hips, circling the ridges of bone with her thumbs. She began chanting an incantation, one that Hecate did not recognize. Clearly it was something ancient; it was far longer than most modern spells, and in some places it sounded almost as if it was bordering on Middle English. After a few seconds, Hecate felt the magic start to curl around her joints, seeping into the cartilage and soft tissue and repairing the damage. There was a sharp pinch as the bone re-located, making Hecate wince.

Ada shot her an apologetic glance, to which Hecate shook her head. There was no need for apologies, this was nothing compared to what she would have had to endure had she cast her own healing spell. She let out a soft sigh as the pain began to ebb. Warmth flooded her body, and the tension in her aching muscles melted away. 

Ada whispered the final words of the spell, then bent down and placed an almost reverent kiss just above Hecate’s left hipbone. 

Hecate smiled and reached out, catching Ada’s hand and lacing their fingers together. “I take it that’s an integral part of the spell?”

Ada chuckled. “Oh yes. All of the truly powerful healing spells must be sealed with a kiss.”

“Funny, I never learned that when I was in school.” Hecate used her free hand to trace a meandering pattern across Ada’s knuckles. “Thank you,” she added quietly.

Ada nodded, squeezing her hand. “Of course, my love. But I am still cross with you. What were you thinking flying out into that storm?”

Hecate lowered her eyes, moving her gaze to their joined hands. “I was thinking that I couldn’t bear the idea of spending another night away from you,” she mumbled.

Ada sighed. She leaned over, brushing a stray lock of hair from Hecate’s forehead. “You’re going soft on me. Of course I miss you terribly when you’re gone, but I need you to make sure you always come home to me in one piece.”

Hecate gave a bashful smile. “I suppose that’s not an unreasonable request.”

Ada leaned down and pressed a kiss to Hecate's lips. She started to pull back but Hecate caught her, cupping her jaw and drawing her into another, deeper kiss. Ada let out a small moan, but forced herself to break away when she felt Hecate's tongue graze her lower lip. She raised an eyebrow, to which Hecate simply smirked.

“Rest now,” Ada said. While she would have liked nothing better than to give her wife a proper welcome home, she knew the spell needed time to settle in. She could also see how tired Hecate was, and she could only imagine how hard the flight home must have been on the rest of her body. “You’ll feel better in the morning, and then I can be properly cross with you.”

Hecate rolled her eyes. "Spoilsport."

Ada snorted and moved to leave, but Hecate held tight to her hand. “Wait. Stay, please?” Her eyelids were beginning to droop, and she looked so soft and vulnerable it made Ada’s heart hurt.

Ada chewed her lip. She still had a stack of letters on her office that required replies, but she could never say no to Hecate, especially not when she was like this.

“Alright,” she murmured, flicking the fingers of her free hand to change them both into their nightclothes.

Hecate gave a tired smile and released her hand.

Ada circled the bed and climbed in on her side, pulling the covers up. Hecate immediately nestled into her side, tucked her head under her chin, and wrapped an arm around her waist. 

Ada chuckled and stroked Hecate’s hair away from her face. After all this time, she still considered it to be an immense privilege that she got to see Hecate when she was like this, all sleepy and snuggly and pliant. For all of her sharp edges, she was still a remarkably soft and tender-hearted woman.

Outside, the storm she had battled raged on. The wind howled and kicked up bits of debris all across the grounds, and the rain beat against the window panes with a heavy, unrelenting cadence. From somewhere in the distance came the faint sound of a thunderclap.

Hecate snuffled, nuzzling Ada’s collarbone. “I missed you,” she mumbled.

Ada smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. She raised her free hand and clicked her fingers to shut off all of the lights.

“I missed you too.”


End file.
